Friday, January 7, 2011

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

The Girl in the Gatehouse is set in the Regency period, which is the era of Jane Austen. The story echoes plots and themes that Jane Austen used in her published works. I caught wind of everything from Pride and Prejudice, to Northanger Abbey to Mansfield Park whose character, Maria Bertram, Julie informs us, was the inspiration for Mariah, her heroine.

Jane Austen's work has been described as "brushstrokes on ivory" light layers of color and innuendo on the pure substance of ivory, representing perhaps, the social structure and manners of the time. Julie Klassen's characters may echo Jane's, almost as if she laid a transparency of Austen's books over a bright light, but then she turns on a switch to make them come to life in a new and original way. Julie creates characters with depth, style and meaning all their own.

I loved the plot twists and surprises nestled into this gem of a book. Ms. Klassen began each chapter with a cool quote, giving a snippet of insight into the period and wisdom of the day.

Julie says: My background is in advertising and marketing, but I am blessed with a dream job—working as an editor of Christian fiction. I have been writing since childhood, but Lady of Milkweed Manor was my first novel. It was a finalist for a Christy Award and won second place in the Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards. My second novel, The Apothecary's Daughter, was a finalist in the ACFW Book of the Year awards. I am currently writing one novel a year.

I graduated from the University of Illinois and enjoy travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends.

My husband and I have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Miss Mariah Aubrey, banished after a scandal, hides herself away in a long-abandoned gatehouse on the far edge of a distant relative's estate. There, she supports herself and her loyal servant the only way she knows how--by writing novels in secret.

Captain Matthew Bryant, returning to England successful and wealthy after the Napoleonic wars, leases an impressive estate from a cash-poor nobleman, determined to show the society beauty who once rejected him what a colossal mistake she made.

When he discovers an old gatehouse on the property, he is immediately intrigued by its striking young inhabitant and sets out to uncover her identity, and her past. But the more he learns about her, the more he realizes he must distance himself. Falling in love with an outcast would ruin his well-laid plans. The old gatehouse holds secrets of its own. Can Mariah and Captain Bryant uncover them before the cunning heir to the estate buries them forever?

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About Me

I love fabric,jigsaw puzzles,art supplies, beads and bangles. It is the delight of the collection. The joy is in the journey. The sparkle. The possibilities. Welcome to Writing Remnants- my life in pieces.